Wainwright, Cardinals whip Brewers 8-0

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright hugs catcher Yadier Molina, back to camera, after pitching a complete game shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Photo by The Associated Press.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright threw a four-hitter and drove in two runs with three hits, two in a seven-run sixth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals shut out the Milwaukee Brewers for the second straight game with a 8-0 victory on Saturday.

Milwaukee ace Yovani Gallardo (0-1) endured yet another setback against his nemesis, falling to 1-10 with a 6.83 ERA against St. Louis after getting charged with five earned runs in 5 1-3 innings. Gallardo, a 16-game winner coming off his fourth consecutive 200-strikeout season, was 0-2 with a 12.34 ERA in three starts against St. Louis last season.

Cardinals pitchers have thrown three straight shutouts overall and worked 32 consecutive scoreless innings, in a 4-1 homestand heading into the finale Sunday. The Brewers, minus injured sluggers Corey Hart and Aramis Ramirez, haven't scored in 25 straight innings and are 1-8 since winning opening day.

Wainwright (2-1) retired the first 10 batters with not one ball going out of the infield and matched his career best with 12 strikeouts in his fifth career shutout and 12th complete game. He has yet to walk a batter in three starts over 22 innings.

Wainwright singled twice with an RBI in the sixth, becoming the first Cardinals pitcher to get two hits in an inning since Braden Looper singled twice in the fifth against the Padres on Aug. 6, 2007. A career .202 hitter, Wainwright lined an RBI single over a drawn-in infield to put the Cardinals ahead in the third, then beat out an infield hit and added an RBI single off Burke Badenhop.

Wainwright's career 1.94 ERA against the Brewers is the lowest among active pitchers and four of his last five starts against them have been complete games.

Ryan Braun struck out three times for the second straight day before coming out in a double switch and Logan Schafer also fanned three times. Cleanup man Rickie Weeks struck out twice before doubling to the opposite field in the seventh to snap an 0-for-21 slump.

Jon Jay also singled twice with an RBI in the sixth, and Matt Holliday had a two-run single.

Gallardo allowed a run on three hits entering the sixth, when six of the first seven batters reached safely.

Adding in a loss in the NL division series to the Cardinals in 2011 and Gallardo sinks to 1-11 with a 6.86 ERA against St. Louis. In his lone victory over the Cardinals, Gallardo carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a 4-0 victory against future teammate Kyle Lohse on May 7, 2011, in St. Louis.

NOTES: Attendance of 44,696 was the second sellout of the homestand. ... Saint Louis coach Jim Crews, who got a multiyear deal Friday after leading the Billikens to a school-record 28 wins, threw out the first pitch. The team was introduced prior to the game. ... RHP Shelby Miller is the fourth youngest Cardinal to work seven innings and allow one hit at 22 years and 184 days. He's behind Von McDaniel (18), Bud Smith (21) and Paul Deal (22 years, 38 days). Smith and Dean threw no-hitters and McDaniel also went nine innings. ... The Brewers were held to two singles for the first time Friday night since Sept. 24, 2008, against Pittsburgh. ... Brewers SS Alex Gonzalez did not play after getting hit by a pitch on his left hand Friday night, and was hoping to play in the series finale Sunday, with Marco Estrada (1-0, 4.50) opposing St. Louis lefty Jaime Garcia (1-0, 2.92).